ABC denies Four Corners, management ‘at war’

Four Corners staff have denied they are “at war” with ABC bosses in the wake of an episode about QAnon being pulled.

Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour and journalist Louise Milligan have denied they are “at war” with ABC bosses in the wake of the high profile defamation battle with Christian Porter and a story about the QAnon cult that has angered the Prime Minister.

Fresh controversy has erupted in recent days over the Four Corners program after it emerged ABC management had delayed the broadcast of a program by Milligan over the QAnon cult that canvasses long standing claims that a family friend of Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny have links with the organisation.

The ABC has also confirmed in Senate estimates today the Porter case ended up costing the public broadcaster $780,000.

The former Attorney-General launched the legal action over a Four Corners online article that revealed a senior cabinet minister, later revealed to be Mr Porter, had been accused of an historical rape.

Mr Porter, who denied the accusation, discontinued the case in May.

The broadcaster spent $680,000 defending the action, as well as paying $100,000 to the company of Mr Porter’s high-profile defamation lawyer Rebekah Giles in mediation costs.

“We don’t regret publishing the article in the first place. We stand by our journalism. That article still exists online,” ABC managing director David Anderson said at Senate Eestimates today.

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Multi-Walkley Award winning journalist Louise Milligan. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour.

Last week, Mr Anderson flatly denied he “pulled” the latest Four Corners program prepared by Milligan for political reasons but confirmed he did delay the broadcast to “do more work” on it.

That prompted a report in The Australian newspaper on Monday that the ABC is “at war” over the fallout and that Four Corners was in conflict with Mr Anderson and the broadcaster’s news boss Gaven Morris.

While refusing to comment in the original article, Neighbour tweeted this morning that the suggestion she was at war with anyone was incorrect.

“Happy Monday from #4Corners. Fyi no-one here is at war with anyone and morale is excellent,” she said.

“We fully accept it is the MD’s role to decide whether/when to publish, and we value ABC management’s unwavering support for our journalism. We are continuing to work on the QAnon story.”

Happy Monday from #4Corners. Fyi no-one here is at war with anyone and morale is excellent. We fully accept it is the MD’s role to decide whether/when to publish, and we value ABC management’s unwavering support for our journalism. We are continuing to work on the QAnon story.

— Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) June 7, 2021

Any suggestion I’m “at war”, least of all with ABC MD, with whom I have an excellent relationship, is completely untrue. I declined to speak to any journalist about this - in fact, I’ve been very unwell after operation. James Madden @australian didn’t give me courtesy of a call.

— Louise Milligan (@Milliganreports) June 7, 2021

The journalist working on the QAnon story is the multi-Walkley Award winning Milligan, who is the author of a book on George Pell, Cardinal.

“Any suggestion I’m ‘at war’, least of all with ABC MD, with whom I have an excellent relationship, is completely untrue,” Milligan said.

“I declined to speak to any journalist about this – in fact, I’ve been very unwell after (an) operation.”

On Friday, the Prime Minister dismissed any suggestion he supported or had links with the “dangerous” cult and complained that it was concerning that the Four Corners program had tried to drag his wife Jenny into the issue.

The US-based far-right “QAnon” conspiracy movement believes there is a secret “deep state” plot against Donald Trump has been investigated by the FBI as a domestic terrorism threat.

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Christian Porter discontinued his defamation case against the ABC last week. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Adam Yip

The Prime Minister said he found it “deeply offensive” anyone would imply he had ties to QAnon. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

It follows widespread claims online that there was some significance to the Prime Minister referring to “ritual” sex abuse in a speech on institutional sex abuse.

The use of the term “ritual” is often deployed by QAnon supporters in the context of their belief that the world has been overtaken by Satan-worshipping paedophiles.

Mr Morrison said he wanted to make it clear there was no basis for any suggestion he or his family had links to a cult.

“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,” Mr Morrison said.

“I clearly do not.

“It is just also disappointing that Four Corners in their inquiries would seek to cast this aspersion, not just against me but by members of my own family.

“I just think that is really poor form.”

Last year a man’s QAnon Twitter account, BurnedSpy34, was permanently suspended for “engaging in co-ordinated harmful activity”. The man’s wife is a longstanding friend of Mrs Morrison and previously worked with her at Kirribilli House. She no longer does so.

But Mr Anderson rejected reports that he “pulled” the program.

“Any suggestion that I ‘pulled’ or ‘blocked’ the program is simply not true,” Mr Anderson told staff.

“I reviewed the material and made an editorial decision that it was not yet ready for broadcast, as any responsible editor-in-chief would.

“My exact words were: ‘Please take on board the feedback and keep going. There is nothing in the program that I can see is time sensitive. I would like a written response next week addressing the feedback. I know the team have worked on it for a while now, but frankly I would prefer we took our time to make it as strong as possible.’”

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Managing Director of the ABC David Anderson during Senate estimates. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

Mr Morris is understood to have “upwardly referred” the episode to the managing director ahead of his appearance at Senate estimates.

The Guardian and Nine newspapers have also reported that the ABC’s Canberra-based political editor, Andrew Probyn, was asked to put a series of questions to Mr Morrison at a press conference this week but declined to do so.

Probyn’s refusal to assist was then promptly leaked to newspapers to suggest there was division in ABC ranks between the Canberra bureau and the flagship current affairs program pursuit of the QAnon story and the Prime Minister.

Probyn has declined to comment on the claims.